Wine and tourism industries could prop up job market

Though North Bay employment numbers have not completely evaded the onset of recession, recording about 3,000 less jobs in November then the same time last year, local staffing experts say the industry the region is best known for will continue to ease unemployment rates that are still well below the state average.

“One thing about the North Bay in particular is the Wine Country,” said Deja Lightner, regional vice president for Robert Half International staffing in Santa Rosa.

“We have found that this is one area that has continued to do really well. We still continue to place a lot of people in that sector in a variety of positions.”

The most recent unemployment rates released last month were high for many of the North Bay counties, but still relatively low compared to the state average of 8.3 percent in November. Sonoma and Napa counties recorded an unemployment rate of 6.5 percent that month and Marin’s remained low at 5 percent.

Ms. Lightner, who’s worked in the industry for about 11 years, said construction and industrial jobs have dropped, but some applicants can easily transfer to a similar position in the wine and tourism industry.

According to a 2008 tourism report in Sonoma, comparable to other North Bay counties, tourism could actually benefit from the poor economy because more Bay Area travelers will choose weekend trips to the Wine Country instead of air travel. Also, the declining value of the dollar will draw more international visitors, according to the report released last summer.

Though rapid hotel construction has slowed in Napa and Sonoma, several large projects are still in the works and will create a significant number of new jobs in the next year, experts said.

Other than tourism, Ms. Lightner said nonclinical health care, education, credit collections and certain finance jobs have also remained strong. “There has certainly been a shift in the way we staff with the economic changes, but what we’ve done is hone in on those sectors that are growing and help our applicants market themselves in different ways,” Ms. Lightner said.

Volt Staffing of Santa Rosa recruiter Theresa Chancellor said employers are also finding creative ways to avoid layoffs. “A lot of major companies that we work with are asking people to take cuts in their pay, taking away benefits or reducing hours,” she said. “It’s not good news by any means, but most are just happy not to be losing their jobs.”

Other staffing experts said what some might consider bleak hiring predictions for the New Year might just be appearances, as many companies are just waiting to see first quarter numbers before easing a conservative spending period.

“Everyone is holding back in the last quarter of the year, making temporary cuts,” said Mary Lynn Bartholomew, regional director for Spherion staffing.

Staffing experts also say many are waiting to see what the new administration will mean for the economy. President-elect Barack Obama has planned a stimulus package aimed at creating at least 2.5 million jobs in the next two years. Initiatives in transit creation, financial oversight, energy independence, health care and community involvement will create positions in a variety of markets including the waning construction sector, they said.